Seeing as it feels like summer right now, I thought I would post the ever generic "how to find a mover" article. This warm weather we are experiencing is a very good reminder that peak season is right around the corner which means finding a great mover will become increasingly more difficult. We all know that moving is a very personal and sometimes sentimental experience. You are uprooting yourself and moving to a new home in sometimes a new neighborhood. No wonder people rank moving as one of the most stressful experiences in life. You would think that businesses in Toronto that provide these moves would be held to certain standards or regulated in some fashion but they are not.

To add to this, there aren't many barriers to starting a moving company. Just about anyone that can rent a truck and find a friend can offer moving services. But if price isn't your only concern, that is not the kind of moving company that you want to hire. So, how do you find the perfect moving company? There have been many articles written about finding a good moving company that list some obvious things to look for. I am going to do my best to dig deeper to offer you a little more insight into how to spot a moving company that will be reliable, hard working and most of all accountable!

1. Check out the about us section of every moving company that you research

I think this is incredibly important. If you are going to open your home up to a moving company, the least a moving company can do in return is open up their business to you. Look out for moving company websites that offer generic descriptions of their business and their operation. If you don't see an address on their contact page, beware. After all, why would that be something they want to hide? Just browse through the site and try and find out what makes the moving company unique or different. Moving companies that care will take the time to tell you!

2. Google your moving company

Alright, this may not be the most novel piece of advice in this article, but it has to be mentioned. Do a search in google for any moving company that you are interested in hiring and browse 2-3 pages deep into your search to see if you can come up with anything other than what you find on their website and on review based sites. You can't judge a moving company because of one or two bad reviews but if you see patterns developing stay very far away from the company.

3. Don't be blinded by pricing tactics.

I am not saying every moving company should be expensive to hire but we all know about things that are too good to be true. Moving companies that care about providing an excellent service have expenses to pay. Good moving companies will usually pay their employees more, maintain a newer and more up-to-date fleet and offer more peace of mind on moving day be being more accessible (more staff in office) and accountable should anything go wrong.

4. Call the Canadian Association of Movers

The Canadian Association of Movers is a governing body for moving companies in Canada. This association sometimes flies under the radar of most consumers but they can provide you with lots of information and useful advice. If you are moving soon, call CAM and ask them if your mover is a certified member with them and if they know anything about the moving companies you are interested in.

5. Pay attention to their estimating procedures

Moving jobs are extremely tough to estimate. There are hundreds of variables that affect how long a move will go. Everything from the length from a home to an elevator (condo/apartment moves), the amount of assembly/disassembly work to be done, truck access to the home, awkward pieces, packing work that is left to do, etc. Although we all just want a price or estimate quickly, be careful when your moving company offers you a quote on the spot. It will either mean they are really good "guessers" or that they will offer a low end price and then jack it up when the move goes long.

Remember there are lots of great moving companies in Toronto. There are just way more bad ones. Do your homework and don't ignore your gut feeling. Make sure to go with a moving company that seems to be available, accountable and professional. Deciding on price alone could actually cost you more in the end.